Lions Back in Top-25; Stage Set for Epic Game against No. 6 Florida Southern

Feb 13, 2013

SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball team announced its presence in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top-25 poll as the Lions rocketed into the No. 16 position after not being ranked the week before.

It was the perfect recognition for a team which has rattled off five consecutive victories and seven-of-nine wins that included a stretch of four consecutive overtime games. The Lions are 17-4 overall and are 9-2 in the Sunshine State Conference which has them squarely in second place. The nine wins, combined with last season's 10-6 effort guarantees the Lions back-to-back conference winning seasons for the first time in program history.

Saint Leo's ranking return also comes when the program heads into what has been coined "an epic game" by some as the No. 16 Lions face No. 6 Florida Southern in Lakeland on Wednesday night. The game features the conference's two top teams vying for the top spot in the standings heading to the home stretch of the season.

The Lions are the only team in the SSC to have put a blemish on the Mocs' otherwise perfect record behind a 71-63 win in the Bowman Center a little over a month ago. Aside from that Florida Southern has reeled off nine consecutive victories overall and have won eight straight SSC games to move into sole possession of first place in the league standings with a 10-1 mark.

Game time between the two nationally ranked rivals is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at the George Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla. Live stats and audio will be available by visiting the Saint Leo Athletics Multimedia page at http://livestats.prestosports.com/saintleo/.

For more on the nationally ranked men's basketball program, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, make sure to 'Follow' the Lions on Twitter and Instagram, and 'Like' the Lions on Facebook.